Take-up mechanism.



n. E. PIERCE & E; A. REED.l

TAKE-UP MECHANISIV. APPLICATION FILED APR. I6 19M.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@y jm Attys.

'summum pLANoGlzAPn co.. w.\smNsToN. u. c

Witnesses:

nesses:

R. E.'PIERCE II E. A. REED.`

TAKE-UP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I6, 1914.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lnvenors:

o'l Rie/ce ff@ Edwin Reed.

HNE/5.

messed.

Um'rnn s'rnrns re'rnn'r ommen.

nennn'ii n. tinnen, on sii. normanni) nnwin n. nnnn, or ivinrnntwoon, Missoula.

,TAKEzUP MEGHANISM.

Specification of Letters Potent.

Patented N ov. 2, 1915.

implication; filed April 16, 1ste.- seriel No., Stiens?- and n se the Samet This inventionl relates to. mire-un mechenisms for sewing machines, and; has for its IneinY objectv to. Ainfovide n toire-uny 'meclin-` .nism nlrieb isjsc designed that. it will not overthrow or move' beyond its normal limit of movement when tbe nmchine ijs running lat a" high speed; Y Y

Ane-ther object is,y to provide n. mire-ur mechanism which` acts on the thread in such n mnnner tbn-t there is little tendency for the tbrend te breek nben soid meclmnism is taking ur tbe sleek inthe threod,

Another object is. to Provide on nceessible mire-uio meclnnnism ci. simple construction ier setting mnelrines which' is 'so designed that the thread can be arrangedy in oper-v ntive. position inmineensily; end still nnother object is, to provide a telrefup mechanism tlm't comprises n substnntinlly drum" slmredY member around Wliicn tbe tbrend passes Y Other objects ond desirable. ieotnres.v oi our invention will beberemniter pointedout- Figure, l oi tbedrnvinss isn. side, eleve.- tiona'l view ci n teilte-upf mechanism ecnstrncted in nceordnnce Witli our invention,

the housing or casing that proteets saidV mecbnnism beine' brolren mmv? Fig- 2 is n similar view showing said'mechamsin at the end of its forward strokeafter it taken np the sleek the thread. 3 is a verticnl sectionnl View. tekenen; npilrorimntelv the line 3 3 oi: Fim. 1- Fis-"sise View similnr to Fis- 2, but vitb. tbe Ports ndiusted differently; ond. Fie 5 is, sectionnl Viet.v on the line Sja-3a of Fig.` 4:.

Reierrinsto thetdrnwines which illnstmte tbe preferred form oi our invention, ce desienntes n. tbrend tbnt, lends. irom of sonrlce ci supply to tlievorlr on; which the moelrine is orerntine end A designates teilte-np member tlmt moves intermittently Wlien. the machine is in onemtion as, to toire up the sleek in tlie tlrrend.Y and drew it.` tent.- The take-up member A'is in the form of a drum ond oscillotes bnclr ond forth, preferably about a horizontal axis. It is preferably provided with two' thread-engaging devices 1 end lfL thnt ere locnted on opposite sides of the axis of movement of the member A. "In the embodiment of our invention herein shown the threediengaging devices l nnd, la nre set in the edge of the drum A "o ncl ere locnted on opposite sides of. n stm `tiormry thread guide consisting ci tWo rollers 2. and 2 arranged on opposite sides ci the tlrrend endV spaced o. slight. distance mmv from' enen other on opposite sides of the anis of movement of the `drum A, as

slnnvn in Figsl ond 2. The devices l and l on the drum A lie 'on opposite sides of the thread and, they are so arranged With relation to the rollers 2 and 2"l that constitute seid stationery tbrend suildetbet seid rollers `2 and 2s will exert pressure on the thread in other Words,` When the member il moves for- Wardly, the device l on said member travels upwardly nest the stationery guide roller 2,

and thedevice laV on said member travels downwardly past the guide roller 2s, thus winding the thread in a zig-Zag manner between 'said devices and rollers and taking up the slack in the thread. The devices l dnd l;a preferably consist, of rollers tliot ore rotatably mounted on tbe drum A, so tbot the thread Will draw through said devices easily and said rollers and also the rollers 2, tend 2s ere, rreiernblv greeted so ns to Prevent. the tbrerd; from slipping orf seme. The front edgeportion of the drum A extends forwardly slightly beyond the rollers 1 and 1 as sho'vvnin Fig. 3, and the outer surface of the drinn can be provided With a groove, as shovvn in Eig. 5;, for receiving the thread or densev can be iormed on the iront edge of the drum so as. to prevent the thread from slipping of the when the mechanism is adjusted that tbe tbrend lays on the drinn A or extends around: salme-during the 'a circular-'rack 0r gear 9 that is'securedto 'therear side of the vertical wall at:the end operation of taking up the slack in the thread.

It is immaterial, so far as our broad idea is concerned, how the take-up drum is mountfv ed, but we prefer to mount said memberL .loosely'on a. stationary stud 3. thatf-is'pro- -A vided at its outer end with an enlarged head or cap plate 4 which laps over a vertically disposed wall at the vinner end of the drum l0 studB Vis secured to the head ofthe machine by nieansof screws or other suitableffastening devices 5, and the rollers 2 and 2 that Vconstitute the stationary threadguide are and thus holds it inoperative position. Said Vrotatablyi'nouiitedion Vstuds 6 that are con- V'nected` to the cap plate of the studA 3.,

Variousmeans'may be employed vfor actuating the take-updrum A, themeans herein shown consisting cfa rock arm ,7 provided with a toothed segment 8 that lmeshes with of the .drinnfA, and a bell cranklever 10 through which the thread travels, the meinfor y'operating f the rock arm '7. Said bell crank lever is pivotally connected Vat 11 to a stationary part ofthe head lofthe machine, andone arm of said lever Visprovided `with Va laterally projecting stud or roller 12 that coperaties with a cam 13, lwhichxrotates continuously when thev machine'isl in operaftion. The other' arm of thelever- `10 is proi vided with an adjustable stud or block 1st that enters an elongated slot 15 in the rock leve'i` 7, said stud being adjustably `iiioiinted 2in a slot 16 in the lever 10 thatl is'arranged at an angle tothe elongated slot 15 in the Vrock arm 7.

'f V,The thread-loeking device previously mentioned: is of novel construction `and consists of two coperating members 17 and 18,

ber 17 beingstationary and the member 18 nievable.- VThe movable member 18 is actuated by alever v19 pivotallyconnected intermediate its ends to a stationary part of 'the' headcof Vthe machine and having its.

A upper end pivotally connected Vat20 to the movable thread-clamping member 18. A spring 21 that is coniiec'tedto thel lower -end "of the `lever19 and to a bracket'Q)J onY the head of the 'machine tends to force ythe movable threadclamping member 18 toward its ycoperating stationary member 17, 'and means are provided for moving the lever` 19V kin the opposite direction ktothe direc- -tien'which the spring 22 moves it 'and hold- 'ing it in such a position that the member 18 will not clamp the thread when'the takeup member is idle or ina position shown in Fig. y1. i The means herein shown for this purpose consists of an adjustable stop 23 onfthe take-"up drum A that bearsragainst Jthe lower end -of the leverf19 when said takeiip drumis at its vposition of rest shown in Fig? 1, said adjustable stop being carried of cutting ,the thread '.lhe member 17 preferably consists'of a stationaryn block on the'vhead of tliemachine provided altitsV by an arm 24 that projects radially from ating lever 19 of the thread-locking device is .provided adjacent its lower end with a guide 25 through which the thread passes, and the coperating thread-engaging members17and 18Uare provided with sinuous shapedthreadgripping surfaces so as to hold the thread 0a securely without liability upper and lower ends with laterally projecting'guides 'or b'ifiircated 'jaws17, and 1- the vmovablememberlS slides between said g fjaws'andfisprovided' at'its upper y and lowei1J ends-with ribs 18a vthat projecty Yinto Y the slots/iii saidljaws fso "as-to'holdthe inemj bers 17 and'18 in alinement'with eachother.

`In view ofthe fact that the adjustable stops Q3 onthevtale-up druin Ais arranged some distance from the` axis ef movement' of said drum Anf-said stopV will-releasethe lever 19 lof, threadlockingfdevice at practically thesaineAA instant thefdrum A starts to' move 9 and before said d'rumfstar'tsto, take'up' the slack in thethread, consequently, there is no possibility Yof the thread being drawn from tlie source y off-supply"when` the take-up Vmechanism becomes'operative'l 9 notherdes'irable feature of a threadloclringdevice of the construction above dethere is no'liability of A Cutting the threadV or breaking theV thread when theV take-up trank lever 10 the throw, of the rock arm 7 A be varied so as'to change'the degree of l For i movement of the ltake-'up lmember iA.

ioV

fniechanisin is operating'.- `Bychangingthe `5 `positionof the adjustable stop- 23,v thefac- "tion ofthe thread-'lockingdevice can be ac.-V l .curatelyregulated,and by changing the position of the" block orstud llt/'in' the bell example, -byshifting the j stud 14 to the opposite end of the slot15 in the rock lever :7, as, shown in Fig. Il, a greater degree of movement willbe vimparted tothe take-up A jdriimA; When themechanism is adjusted l in this manner the thread will extend farther around the drum, and consequently,

theeoiivexed surface of the drum will exert pressure on thethread and thustalteup the thread. AWhile we.V prefer to design the'i take-up mechanism in Vsuch a manner that thethread extends only part-vvay around the drum A during the operation of taking up the slack in the thread,`we`vvish it to be Linderstood that our invention is not limited to such a design, for our invention broadly stated consists in a take-up mechanism composed of a drum or drum-shaped member through which the thread extends Vat approximately right angles to the axis of movement of the drum and means for oscillating or rotating said member intermittently. Furthermore, while We prefer to equip the mechanism .vith a stationary thread-guide arranged adjacent the axis of movement of the drum, this is not essential to the successful operation of our improved mechanism, for in the simplest form of our invention the thread would merely enter one side of the drum and extend transverselyacross same to the opposite side of the drum.

rihe take-up mechanism and the threadlocking device are arranged in such a posiftion -on the head ofV the machine `that they can begotten at easily, either for the purpose ofl adjustment, or When the thread is being arranged in operative position, and said parts are preferably inclosed by a movable housing 26 so asrto keep Wax or any other coating on the thread in a more or less plastic condition.

ln our improved take-up mechanism there is no tendency for the take-up member to over-throw or move beyond its normal limit ef movement when the machine is run at a high speed, owing to the fact that said member oscillates back and forth, preferably around a stationary thread guide Which engages the thread intermediate two devices on the take-up member Which move the thread in opposite directions With relation to the stationary center guide, consequently, it is possible to run a sewing machine equipped with our improved take-up mechanism at a high speed Without liability of breaking the thread. N or is there any tendency for the thread to catch on or become looped improperly around any parts of the take-up member, in case the thread becomes slack when the take-up member is moving baci; to its starting position, owing to the fact that the convexed surface of the drum over which the thread extends prevents the thread from doubling up or assuming such a position that it lies in the path of the thread-engaging devices on the drum. In other Words, the portions of the drum that lie ybetween the tvvo thread-engaging dedevices andia constitute convexed shields that prevent the thread from becoming looped around said devices. The thread can be slipped sidevvise into the take-up mechanism Without going to the trouble of inserting the free end of the thread through a number of eyes or orifices in guides, and the coperating thread-clamping members of the thread-locking device are so designed that the thread 'can be slipped sideuise into same. Suitable means are provided for varying the throw of the take-up member and for accurately adjusting the threadlocking device, and as said locking device is controlled directly by the take-up mechanism and is so designed that it locks the thread at practically the same instant the take-up member starts to move forwardly, there is little liability of the thread being pulled from the source of supply during the operation of taking up the slaclir in the thread. The thread has practically a straight pull through the take-up mechanism, and thread-locking device when the take-up mechanism is idle and said parts so arranged on the head of the machine that they can be gotten at easily. Furthermore, said mechanism and device are protected by a movable housing or casing which retains Vsufficient heat around said parts to keep the Wax on the thread in a plastic or semiplastic state.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is:

l. A take-up mechanism for sewing machines, comprising an oscillating take-up member provided with a plurality of threadengaging portions that move or exert pressure on the thread in opposite directions, said take-up member having convexed portion -arranged intermediate said threadengaging portions over which the thread passes when said member is in a certain position.

2. A take-up mechanism for serving machines comprising a take-up member having a substantially cylindrical-shaped portion provided at oppositely-disposed points With openings through which the thread extends transversely of said member, and means for moving said member in a circular path so as to cause the thread to tend to Wrap around the curved outer surface of same. Y

3. A take-up mechanism for sewing machines comprising a circular moving take-up member having an approximately ringshaped portion provided With substantially oppositely-disposed openings through which the thread extends transversely of said member, and a stationary guide at the axis of movement of said member through which the thread passes.

Li. A take-up mechanism for sewing machines comprising an oscillating take-up member having a substantially cylindricalshaped portion equipped With thread-engaging devices that are located on opposite sides of the thread, and means arranged intermediate said devices which exerts pressure on ythe thread in opposite directions to said devices When the take-up member operates.

5. A take-up mechanism for sewing machines,oomprising a circular moving take-up member provided with a substantially ringshaped portion equipped with a pair of spaced rollers that are arranged on opposite sides of the thread, and a plurality of stationary rollers arranged intermediate the rollers on said member adjacent the aXis of movement of said member so as to form a guide through which the thread passes.

6. A take-up mechanism for sewing Vmachines, comprising an oscillating `take-np member provided with a circular flange, a stationary stud on which said member is mounted, thread-engaging 4devices on said member arranged adjacent said ilange on opposite sides of the thread, and a stationary thread guide carried by said stud.

7 A talreuip `mechanism for sewing machlnes, comprising a circular moving take- Y up member, a stationary stud on which said member is mounted, thread-engaging` devices on said member arrangedy on opposite sides of the thread, segmental-shaped, conveXed portions on said member arranged intermediatesaid thread-engaging devices and a stationary thread guide carried by said stud and consisting of spaced rollers that prevent the thread from moving bodily when it is engaged by the' thread-engaging devices and convexed portions on said member. V

8. A takeup mechanism for sewing machines, comprising` a circular moving drum through which lthe thread: passes transversely, means for actuating said member so as'to Cause the threadto lay upon the curved surface of same, and means whereby the degree of movement imparted to said member may be varied.

9.V In a sewing machine, a thread-locking device, a take-up mechanism comprising an oscillating drum-shaped member through which the thread extends transversely, and

adjustable means on said member located some distance from the axis of movement of same forV controlling said locking device.

- 10. In a sewing machine, a thread-locking ldevice comprising a movable clamping member, a spring-controlled lever for actuatingV 'saidmembeg a guide onsaid lever through which the thread passes, an oscillating takeup member provided with a substantially-- cylindrical-shaped portion through which the thread extends transversely and an adjustablermeans on said member that'copcrates with said lever to hold said movableV Y ROBERT E. PIERCE.'v

EDWIN A.` REED.

Witnesses: "i i Y 'Y i Y WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELI.fr

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Washngton,1). C. Y 

